RFID Machine Tool Identification

Improve productivity with accurate and efficient tooling information

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 Balluff Industrial RFID
Manage your tools and increase
your productivity

Today’s machining centers and systems are designed

to provide maximum productivity with minimum
downtime and scrap. Balluff’s industrial RFID-based
Tool ID allows you to take full advantage of today’s
advanced machining center capabilities to maximize
your investment and productivity. Balluff’s Tool RFID
methodology removes human error from the process
to reliably automate the exchange of tool data between
presetter and machine to create a truly visible closed
loop production system. Now each tool carries its
individual data such as tool life, tool chain pocket
location, and offset data, as an individual pedigree.
This prevents incorrect manually entered data from
causing a loss of tool productivity, increased scrap,
and in some cases, it even prevents damage to the
tool or machine itself.

For over twenty years, Balluff has been helping

companies like yours profit from the use of automated
Tool ID. Let us show you how RFID based Tool ID can
increase uptime and productivity with one of the fastest
Return on Investments you can make. Automated
Tool ID also opens the door to many other productivity
advantages, including automatic tool tracking and
tool room automation, for even greater efficiency,
productivity, and profitability in your process.

Maximize tool utilization Minimize human error

RFID based Tool ID maximizes tool utilization by ensuring:
Precise, up-to-date tool life information
Accurate transfer of tool offset data
Accurate reporting of tool data back to statistical databases
Continuous tool tracking to maximize quality and reduce tool
inventory requirements
Paperless tool data transfer ensures absolutely reliable data:
Eliminates human data entry errors
Accurately carries data with each tool regardless of its location
Automates transfer of data from presetter to machine
Can recall tool data from the tool any time without the need for
database look-ups

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Tool Identification with Industrial RFID Tool crib
Improves quality Maximize tool utilization
Increases efficiency Tools are always ready for use
Data is complete and error-free
Data is kept with each tool
With reliable, up-to-date tool data, you can analyze the data to easily
calculate costs, modernize tool quality systems and optimize tool New tools
utilization to increase productivity, maximize quality and efficiency. Simple integration into the tool thanks
By storing relevant tool data with the tool, such as numbers, to standardized sizes for installation in
dimensions, tool chain pocket location and tool life, large amounts HSK spindles per DIN 68871-A and SK
of data can be stored and moved more efficiently and without tapers per ISO/DIS 12164-1
databases. This also allows the data to be moved from the presetter
to machine significantly faster than any manual entry process with
none of the errors, increasing machine uptime.

Tool presetting
Convenient and reliable tool data
storage Tool reconditioning
All data is stored directly on an RFID Maintain identification
tag embedded in the tool holder. Easily identify tool type and
No manual entry errors possible. tool room information
Tool data is permanently and uniquely Store tool recondition or
associated with the tool sharpening information

Tool Identification with Industrial RFID

Reduce costs

Compare Industrial RFID tool management with conventional The cost and ROI calculation presumes a medium-size production
Tool handling. Balluff can show you the tangible cost advantages facility with twelve machining centers and 1200 tools. See how the
of using Industrial RFID based Tool ID. up-front purchase and implementation of Tool ID will pay for itself in
a very short time.

Cost $

One-time investment cost

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Costs of conventional handling

Annual savings

Costs with Balluff Industrial RFID

Machine runtime (years)

www.balluff-usa.com 3
 Machining center
Greater machine utilization
through reliable, unique
association in tool magazines
Tool data is transferred au-
tomatically to the machine’s
memory
No incorrect manual entries,
no miss-entered data

Tool life monitoring

Greater efficiency
Exact inventorying reduces stock level requirements and offers great
savings potential
Exact tracking of tools in the work process ensures efficient tool usage
Tools are sharpened or replaced “just-in-time”

Handling with Industrial RFID Conventional handling

Quantity: 20 pcs./year Quantity: 175 pcs./year

Tool breakage

Downtime: 10 minutes Downtime: 10 minutes

Downtime costs: Machine hourly cost Downtime costs: Machine hourly cost
Operator hourly cost Operator hourly cost
= $5/min (assumption) = $5/min (assumption)

= 200 min × $5/min = 1750 min × $5/min

= $1,000 cost/year = $8,750 cost/year

Annual savings with Balluff Industrial RFID $7,750 (not including production downtime savings)

Avg. tool price: $200 Avg. tool price: $200

Tool utilization

Tool utilization: < 92 % Tool utilization: < 65 %

New tool: < 340 pcs./year New tool: < 500 pcs./year
Lost utilization: 8% Lost utilization: 35 %

= (340 pcs./year × $200) × 8 % = (500 pcs./year × $200) × 35 %

= $5,440 cost/year = $35,000 cost/year

Annual savings with Balluff Industrial RFID $29,560

Loading, data entry: 0.3 minutes Loading, data entry: 1.3 minutes
Tool and data entry

Machine hourly rate: $86 ($1.43/min) Machine hourly rate: $86 ($1.43/min)
Tool changing assuming Tool changing assuming
2-shift operation 2-shift operation
per machine: avg. 25 changes/day per machine: avg. 25 changes/day
Machine operation: 250 days/year Machine operation: 250 days/year

= (0.3 minutes × 25 changes = (1.3 minutes × 25 changes

× 12 machines × 250 days/60 × 12 machines × 250 days/ 60
minutes) × $86/h minutes) × $86/h
= $32,250 cost/year = $139,750 cost/year

Annual savings with Balluff Industrial RFID $107,500

Total annual savings with Balluff Industrial RFID $144,810

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Tool Identification with Industrial RFID
The system

A non-contact tool identification system in today’s machine tools A wide variety of RFID data carriers (chips), read/write heads,
can make an indispensable contribution to a defect-free and efficient processors and accessories are available. Balluff can help you
production process. choose the correct RFID parts based on the system capabilities
required for the machine and tool holders being used. Balluff can
Balluff’s Industrial RFID’s exceptionally reliable, rugged, and also help provide assistance with installation of the data carriers
dependable inductive technology is ideal for use in the harsh and integration of the RFID system into you machines. Many
industrial environment of machine tool. presetter products already support or can have Balluff RFID
installed, just check with your presetter supplier.
Data exchange between the data carrier and read/write head is
non-contact and wear-free. Data and necessary power for the data
carrier are inductively coupled by the read/write head.
The data carrier requires no battery for power
Data transmission reliability is guaranteed by integral
checking software

Communication options
CNC
(optional CNC interfaces available)

Processor

Read/write head

Connection cable

Data carriers

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Product Identification with Industrial RFID
Traceability in manufacturing

In addition to Tool ID, Balluff offers a wide variety of RFID systems for other industrial tracking and traceability applications. In fact, Balluff offers a
wide variety of RFID products to help you error proof virtually any manufacturing process. Contact Balluff to see how we can help you with your
RFID applications.

Specialty Data Carriers

90° angled data carriers for large assembly systems with several shunt points offer connection flexibility while
saving changes to the line. Using a data carrier whose data is available from two 90° offset sides means the
work piece data carriers do not have to be rotated for reading and writing.

Part Mounted Data Carriers

Balluff’s Databolt™ data carriers are ideally suited for harsh environments. Their rugged design ensures that
ID tag-enabled parts are reliably tracked in production processes where coolants or large quantities of chips
are present. These tags are ideally suited for washing equipment and vacuum driers.

Mount-on-Metal
Consistent and reliable performance in any environment – regardless of the material the tag is mounted to.
The small form factor of our data carriers can handle large quantities of data and provide long read/write
ranges even in the toughest environments, even when mounted on metal.

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Pallet Identification
The large variety of data carriers and read/write options in the Balluff Industrial RFID product offering
makes pallet identification 100% reliable in virtually any application. Balluff Industrial RFID systems provide
automation tracking, help prevent process interruptions, and provide process-oriented quality assurance and
error proofing.

www.balluff-usa.com
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USA Canada Mexico

Balluff Inc. Balluff Canada, Inc. Balluff de México SA de CV
8125 Holton Drive 2840 Argentia Road, Unit #2 Anillo Vial II Fray Junípero Serra No. 4416
Florence, KY 41042 Mississauga, Ontario L5N 8G4 Colonia La Vista Residencial.
Phone: (859) 727-2200 Phone: (905) 816-1494 Querétaro, Qro. CP76232
Toll-free: 1-800-543-8390 Toll-free: 1-800-927-9654 Phone: (++52 442) 212-4882
Fax: (859) 727-4823 Fax: (905) 816-1411 Fax: (++52 442) 214-0536
E-Mail: balluff@balluff.com E-Mail: balluff.canada@balluff.ca E-Mail: balluff.mexico@balluff.com